Separated at Birth

Color us stupid, but DAP Review let us know that the aforementioned Frontier Labs L1 and Anubis Typhoon My DJ are actually rebranded Godot M8170s. In any case, one practical upshot is that you can actually buy the Frontier Labs L1 version in North America.

Also, there is a Godot M8270 as well. It has specs very similar to the M8170, but with slightly different dimensions and different navigation controls.

iRiver on Creating the iPod Killer

iRiver President Jonathan Sasse recently sat down with Tech World News for an interview. There wasn't much said that we didn't already know, including the products iRiver will be launching this year. But it's an interesting read nonetheless. [Via DAP Review]

What's the most exciting technology happening in the development lab at iRiver right now?
Keeping in line with the previous comment about the Portable Media Center, I believe that bringing a complete multimedia experience to a portable device is a very compelling opportunity for consumers. As we will launch several variations of a portable multimedia player this year, our customers will now be able to take all of their music with them as they have previously, but in addition they will be able to take photos and videos with them as well. Whether it is a portable TiVo-like experience, a digital photo collection or a supercharged audio experience, these devices will change the face of portable entertainment completely.

Weekly Price Guide

Anubis Typhoon My DJ Player

The Anubis Group has a new high-capacity player on the market, the Typhoon My DJ. It has a 15GB capacity and many of the most popular features that the newest generation of MP3 players carry. In addition to MP3/WMA playback, it includes an FM radio, fast USB 2.0 connectivity and digital recording to MP3. Notably, it can also record FM broadcasts in addition to recording from an external microphone. While radios are increasingly common on newer players, not every one can record radio. The My DJ is a compact 3.86"x2.6"x0.87" and weighs 6.7oz. [Via Digital Audio News]

New MP3 Format Coming

The Fraunhofer Institute, the originator of the MP3 music standard, announced that it is adding support for surround sound and a form of copy protection to the MP3 file format. The surround sound feature will be able to use 5.1 speaker setups if available, but will remain compatible with 2-speaker stereo systems. Fraunhofer is also adding what they call Light Weight Digital Rights Management (LWDRM). LWDRM adds a unique user signature to MP3 files that could be used to track who originates and shares files. [Via Digital Audio News]

More on Audiobooks: Cheap or Free

Today must be content day, as this the 3rd post of the day on the subject. In any case, here are two ways to get cheap or free audiobooks. First, the aforementioned Kevin Kelly says that Cracker Barrel stores have audiobooks for $20. But when you're done, you can return them minus $3 per week that you had it. Not a bad deal if you frequent the Interstate highway system.

Second, Boingboing tells us that science-fiction author James Patrick Kelly is experimenting with free audiobook downloads of some of his work.

Kevin Kelly: Salvaging a Commute

If you haven't already discovered the world of audiobooks, your MP3 player is a great place to start. Books in MP3 format are starting to become available and are a great way to spend a commute. Kevin Kelly has a dozen reasons why you should give audiobooks a try.

Also, don't forget that Lawrence Lessig's latest book Free Culture is available in DIY MP3 audiobook format.

iTunes Updated on Its Anniversary

Today is the one year anniversary of Apple's iTunes Music System (ITMS). To commemorate the day, Apple has released an updated version (v4.5) of the iTunes software for both Mac OS X and Windows.

New features include iMix and relaxations of DRM authorization policy. iMix lets you create playlists with track commentary that you can share with others, like the celebrity playlists that Apple produces. Also you can now authorize 5 computers to play your purchased tunes, instead of 3. The number of times that you can burn purchased music to CD has been reduced to 7 from 10.[Via Slashdot]

Philips Micro Audio Jukebox HDD060 Review

With the rapidity of technological change, things like this are bound to occur. Philips has their Micro Audio Jukebox HDD060 competing against the iPod Mini and the Creative MuVo2 in the compact harddrive category. The problem is that the HDD060 only has a 1.5GB capacity, compared with the iPod Mini and MuVo2's 4GB. The HDD060 has slower USB 1.1 connectivity, versus faster Firewire and USB 2.0 for the Mini and MuVo, respectively. At $200, it's $50 less than a Mini, but about the same as a MuVo2.

In any case, PC Magazine has a full review. [Via Gizmodo]

2 New iPod FM Transmitters

The onslaught of Apple accessories continues. This time Engadget gets the story on 2 new FM transmitters for the iPod. First is the $69.99 Monster iCarPlay FM Transmitter, reviewed by iPodlounge. Second is the $99 Sonnet PodFreq noted at MacMinute.

CNET Launches Free Music Download Service

CNet announced today the opening of its free music download service. CNet owns the former MP3.com, but we don't think that this is the content that was housed there previously. Rather, it is CNet's effort to reconstitute a MP3.com-like site. The MP3.com name will be used for an, as of yet, unlaunched music news site.

Also, don't forget that eMusic still has its 50 free MP3s deal going on as well.

iPod and iPod Mini Troubleshooting

iPodlounge brings word that MacFixit has assembled all their previous iPod and iPod Mini articles into one comprehensive troubleshooting guide. If your iPod is ailing, check it out.

Room for 1000 Songs is Enough?

Jupiter Research has released the results of a recent survey that suggests that space for "1000 songs" is sufficient for average consumers. 1000 songs with Apple's iTunes AAC or with 128-bit MP3 encoding would be roughly 4GB. Not suprisingly, this is the size of the extremely popular Apple iPod Mini and Creative Nomad MuVo².

BBC News and CNet also have articles on the survey.

From the BBC News article:

"[T]he report said that almost half of those thinking about buying a portable player, 45%, would like one that could play video."

From the Cnet article:

"Hard drive size isn't the only thing that matters to music lovers. When asked which features matter most, 55 percent listed a rechargeable battery, 52 percent said small device size, and 49 percent said the ability to connect the device to their computer. Vendors should be cognizant of these priorities, Jupiter said"

Weekly Price Guide

This week was pretty quiet as far as player prices go. Possibly this has something to do with all the attention on iPod Minis and Nomad MuVo²s. Both are very popular and both are in short supply.

Even More iPod Accessories

As evidence for yesterday's entry about the iPod being the king of accessories, Engadget brings news of two more entries into the already crowded field of iPod add-ons. The first is Belkin's Camera Link that lets you transfer photos from your USB-enabled digital camera directly to your iPod. Second is Griffin's iTalk, a voice recorder attachment that includes an external speaker and a jack for an external microphone.

First Harddrive Player from Frontier Labs

After years of making Compact Flash-based players, Frontier Labs has announced their first harddrive-based player, the 20GB L1, short for Love One. Like other new models, it includes digital recording, an FM radio and USB 2.0. Nice, but less common, extras include a calendar, memos, a clock and games. No sign of a remote, though. The L1 seems relatively compact at 3.88"x2.5"x0.88" (compared with the iPod at 4.1"x2.4"x0.62"), but a little hefty at 6.7oz against the 5.6oz iPod. [Via DAP Review]

More on the Plush Toy MP3 Player

A few people have asked where they can buy the aforementioned plush MP3 players. However, I haven't yet been able to find a US retailer.

The manufacturer's website shows 18 different models, but no way to buy directly from them. We did put in an email to them, so hopefully they'll let us know what the story is.

iPod: The Accessories King

Reuters has an article about the plethora of accessories available for the iPod. They run the gamut from the mundane (protective cases) to the wacky (snowboarding jackets and a purse with built-in speakers). Reuters counts over 200 different accessories, which makes the iPod, far and away, the most well-supported MP3 player. That, it seems, is exactly how Apple want it. [Via Engadget]

But Apple has been careful not to pack too many features into the unit, said Greg Joswiak, vice president of hardware product marketing.

"The primary reason people buy an iPod is to listen to their music on the go," Joswiak said. "You don't want to screw that up."

Big Player Roundup in PC Magazine

PC Magazine has just completed a roundup of 14 flash- and harddrive-based players. We're a bit suprised by the lineup of players they chose to test. It seems as if they were looking for the most compact models, as the iPod Mini and Creative MuVo2 were the only harddrive-based models tested. [Via Slashdot]

On the format front, MP3 remains the most popular music file type by a long shot, although the growing popularity of online music stores (and the growing fear of trolling file-sharing networks) has increased the number of formats you'll encounter. iTunes songs are saved as AAC files; Napster's and Musicmatch's are WMA format. Most players we reviewed can decode both MP3 and WMA, but only the Apple iPod Mini could handle AAC. Online stores use digital rights management to monitor where you play those files; see the sidebar "Good-Bye, MP3; Hello, DRM!" for more information on how such files are encrypted and where they'll play.

The right digital music player has to fit your lifestyle, whether it's your workout buddy, a travel companion, or your portable music library. The differences were obvious in our testing: We can help you choose between one of the smaller, hard drive players or the lightweight, flash memory players. Our tests showed that all of the players were competent sonically; the earphones made bigger differences in sound quality. We've reviewed 13 portable digital music players, with an ear toward audio fidelity and an eye toward style.

Plush MP3 Player?

Normally we don't mention flash memory-based MP3 players, but we couldn't let this go. Computex is offering stuffed plush toys with an embedded MP3 player. They're made by AudioTronic Tech. Co. ("All your favor terminated in AT's creativity") and have up to a 128MB capacity, USB 1.1 connectivity and can be used as a flash disk.

The bear in their design is nice and all, but personally I'd rather have a plush Cthulhu (shown at right) player.

I'm Coo Coo for CoCoPod

Gizmodo alerted us to the existence of the S-Media CoCoPod. From the few pictures that we've seen, it may not be much to look at, but it doesn't lack in the feature department. In addition to a 20GB capacity, it offers digital recording to MP3, an FM radio and USB 2.0 connectivity.

One feature that does separate it from the pack is a slot for the SD/MMC flash memory cards used in some digital cameras. With the CoCoPod you can move photos off the smaller capacity flash cards to the CoCoPod's 20GB disk.

In terms of size and weight, the CoCoPod is 4.37"x2.7"x0.87" at 5.6oz. This makes it a little bulkier than a 3rd generation iPod (which is 4.1"x2.4"x0.62"), but the two devices weigh about the same.

We did manage to track down one review of the CoCoPod, from India-based TechTree who gave it 4 out of 5 stars:

[T]he player is high on features but average on sound quality. If you are looking at the extra features of line-in, FM and voice recording, this player fits the bill better than the other alternatives.

RSS on the iPod How-To

The Engadget gang has posted an excellent how-to on reading RSS on the iPod.

If you're not familiar with RSS, I'll try to explain a bit. RSS is a way of syndicating pieces of information. It is most often used with websites such as this one for delivering the individual entries we post. This site provides an "RSS feed" containing all recent entries. Interested readers run software, generally called "RSS aggregators" that periodically look to see if there are new entries. When there are new entries, the aggregator displays them.

If you're interested in exploring RSS and news aggregation, CNN has a good introduction. Here is a more in-depth RSS tutorial.

Of course, once you get your aggregator running, make sure you add the Player Blog feed. The feed address is http://www.playerblog.com/index.xml and is also available by clicking the orange XML button on the upper right side of this page.

New DAP Review Site is Up

Creative Nomad Zen Xtra Headphone Jack Repair

At least a few owners of the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra have experienced breakage of the headphone jack. One such owner, The Bishop, has put together a photo-guided how-to on repairing it yourself.

Weekly Price Guide

This week was pretty quiet as far as player prices go. Possibly this has something to do with all the attention on iPod Minis and Nomad MuVo²s. Both are very popular and both are in short supply.

Interesting iPod Tidbits

Two notable bits of Apple info today. First Apple announced that, for the first time, it sold more iPods than Macs in the previous quarter. According to CEO Steve Jobs, Apple now owns 40% of the MP3 player market.[Via Gizmodo]

Also, Apple is apparently the victim of its own success, due to their inability to produce enough iPod Minis to satisfy the US market, while delaying their availablility overseas. In response, MacSlash reports that Apple is offering Mini-deprived customers the option to recieve a 15GB iPod instead, at no extra cost. [Via Engadget]

iPod Mini Sound Problems?

iPodlounge recently reported that a number of iPod Mini owners have experienced sound distortion when there is pressure on the surface of the Mini or around the headphone connector area. Irakli Loladze has a thorough analysis and lots of under-the-hood photos.

In the meantime, Apple has responded, saying that the problem is "isolated".

"We're highly confident with the (iPod) minis that we're shipping," Mr. Cook said. "We've seen some of those reports. They're isolated online reports. We're investigating those because we want to very much understand those. But I would tell you that the number of complaints that we've had from customers through AppleCare tech support is extremely small. However, anyone that is listening to the (conference) call that has a problem, please call the AppleCare because we want to take care of the issue."

50 Free MP3s from eMusic

If you're a cheapskate like us, you like being able to try something first before buying it. Now eMusic, the online music store, has come through for us. Right now they have a free 2-week trial that will let you download 50 free MP3s. Even if you don't subscribe, you do get to keep the 50 MP3s. With their subscription service, tunes are as low as 22 cents each.

Even better, most of the MP3s are encoded at a higher bitrate with VBR, which is whole lot better than the fixed 128-bit encoding used in the past.

Creative MuVo² Review

There has been a lot of talk about the Creative MuVo² recently. However, much of it has centered on cracking open the case to remove the 4GB CompactFlash drive that's inside. At least a few people are actually using the compact player as is, right? In any case, if you're thinking about getting a MuVo², Tbreak.com has a new, photo-filled review.

Did-it-himself iPod Mini Car Mount

Macworld has made note of iPod Mini owner Jesse Melchior's homemade car mount for his Ford Explorer. It took him four days to do it, but the results were pretty good looking. See pictures of Jesse's handiwork here. [Via Engadget]

Dell Price Cuts

I haven't been including the Dell DJ-15 in the weekly price guides, but it is worth noting that Dell has just dropped the price of its 15GB model by $50. This brings the price down to a very reasonable $199.

DAP Review to Be Updated!

Good news from DAP Review today. They hadn't updated the site in a couple of months and we were starting to worry that it was dead. However, it turns out they've been working on a total site rebuild, from the ground up. We'll let you know when the new site goes live.

• The old DAPreview.com website is officially dead. Has been since January, as you may have noticed.
• The new DAPreview.com website is almost ready. Just a few more days at the most while I put some finishing touches on it after a month of work. Totally new format, no more HTML. We've got a PHP/MySQL based front-end using e107 CMS software.. and it looks sweet. Most of the content here was manually transferred to the new site along with some new reference material. We have messaging forums now. We have an all-new gallery system using Coppermine software, loaded with 1700 pictures of digital audio players and other portable audio gear.

Weekly Price Guide

Rockbox v2.2 Released

The gang at Rockbox, the open-source replacement firmware for the Archos Jukebox 5000, 6000, Studio, Recorder, FM Recorder and Recorder V2 MP3 players, have released a new major rev, version 2.2. New stuff includes:

- Bookmarks
- The .rockbox directory has been reorganised
- Alternating WPS lines
- Reorganised main menu
- Create directory
- Faster disk transfers
- Playlist viewer
- Video player
- Sound controls in the FM radio menu
- Pre-recording
- Option to store recorded files in current directory
- Improved charging feedback for V2 & FM units

Linux Comes to the iPod

Linux, the popular open-source computer operating system, has come to the iPod. The Linux community has a long history of porting to a variety of devices, so this shouldn't be very suprising. While it isn't quite ready for primetime, the goal of support for OGG music format could be around the corner.

Here are thoughts on iPod Linux from some others:

• Wired
• Slashdot
• Gizmodo

New Player Roundup

Gear @ IGN.com has a new roundup of full-sized harddrive MP3 players. It's a nice, concise guide to 5 popular models with pros and cons of each.

This seems to be a good time for a hard drive (HDD) portable roundup. Everything that is coming out has come out. The next-generation of HDD players will start seeping out later this year, but for now you have plenty of options from plenty of makers. I also get several letters per day asking for HDD recommendations.

For what it's worth, we agree 100% with Gear's top 5 choices. For the typical user, these are the ones you should get to know before buying. One of these will more than likely fit the bill and the budget.

Streaming MP3 of Lessig's Free Culture Now Online

As mentioned previously, Stanford University Law Professor Lawrence Lessig's most recent book, Free Culture, has been re-fashioned into a freely available audiobook. The finished collaboration is now available online at Turnstyle.org.

Plug-and-Play Creative Zen Xtra?

Tbreak.com has a new review of the Creative Zen Xtra MP3 player. The review is fairly brief, but it does have a lot of photos and one very interesting side note:

Unlike Creative’s MuVo2 that we reviewed a few weeks back, the Zen Xtra isn’t truly plug’n’play as you need to install drivers to access the device. We spoke to Creative about this and were informed that the unit is capable of a driverless operation and there might be a firmware version coming up soon that’ll let you access the device without installing any drivers.

This is big news in our book. Software-less functionality is a greatly underappreciated feature and we are happy to hear that Creative can/will make this happen. When/if this comes to pass, we think that Creative's lineup will be the clear choices for budget-conscious buyers.